Quote:
Originally Posted by willx
Hm.. I just rammed an IS-8 off a cliff in Dragon Ridge in my KT ..
And it'll probably hurt my efficiency cause I didn't get "damage" on it .. and I fell off after him (clutch braking my butt!) ..  |
{8.3, from
The Treatise of Unconventional Ways}
"The Master said: 'In tankery, there is nothing greater than defeat of an enemy by forcible displacement, to speak nothing of self-obliteration in the same stroke. For there is no greater report to one's ancestral clan than direct sacrifice, which was cultivated by the ancient kings. In this there is no greater name than Wei Ho-hsien (2). Formerly, Wei Ho-hsien plunged into a chasm one hundred
chang (1) in depth, compelling in the act an IS-8 of the foe's rank to fall before him to the demise of both. In sight of the rising mist embodying the spirits of the deceased, a loud cry of eulogy was expressed by all present, and the deed was recorded by the survivors (2). How much greater still that no contact was necessary? Truly, this is the natural way. It is said in the Rites of Tankery: 『For the death of a foe in mortal combat, no act does shame my ancestors!』'"
1= (written: 丈) An ancient unit of length, about 3 metres
2= A transliteration of "wilhelmson". Some sources indicate he was a Buddhist sage from India though there is no evidence to support this.
3= Modern analysis of the terrain indicates that the only witnesses would have been arty.
tl;dr: ramming is awesome and you should be proud.
{6.4, from
The Proper Demeanor of a Superior Tankist}
"A disciple asked: 'How is it that I can find neither satisfaction nor efficiency in the sniping weapons?' The Master said: 'Alas, just so are the common ways! They trust only the Alpha
Shang (1) dealt by the accompanying varieties of
P'ao, and are content to name themselves seasoned! To do battle with natural precision and true machination, even when armed with the fragile long
Chi'ang (2), how can these two be compared!'"
1= "damage"
2= The term denotes a long, sniping gun. Not to be confused with "P'ao"
{9.2, from
The State of the Sages}
"The Master remarked: 'There is a knight (1) of great acclaim in the southwesternly states. Do you know of whom I speak?' A disciple rose to answer: 'Yes, it is the man T'e-Ah. Formerly, T'e-Ah was famous for the sale of all his vehicles, of which the IS-7 was the only remainder. He is considered by [all who have heard of him] to be a lunatic.' The Master said: "No lunatic was he, but a sage! Not lusting after silver, nor intimidated by the toils of grinding, nor competing for experience, he is no longer constrained by Heaven and Earth, but goes as their equal. His actions appear perplexing to those common men, for he has attained the Tao.'"
1=The term "knight" here serves as an official honorific, as opposed to a dedicated warrior.
(this last one is a true story - a guy I know sold every tank he had except his IS-7 so he could concentrate on it. He has since repurchased many of his tanks, however. )